At a glance
Prepare your trip to Argentina with our comprehensive guide covering entry requirements, safety, health, climate, budget and practical travel tips.
ARGENTINA
Capital: Buenos Aires
Language: Spanish
Currency: Argentine peso. Exchange rate: 1 ARS = 0.023 EUR
Tourist Office:argentina.travel
Did you know? Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. It is located in the province of Tierra del Fuego, the “lower part” of Argentina. Around 60,000 people live there.
Are you travelling to Argentina? Here are a few useful tips:
Travel documents and customs formalities
If you are visiting Argentina for a tourist stay of less than 90 days, you do not need a visa. You must have a valid passport. There are no customs restrictions on entering Argentina.
Credit cards are accepted and the branch network of banks is widespread in all major cities. To exchange cash, you can buy Argentine pesos on arrival at the airport for a total amount not exceeding 500 US dollars.
The healthcare system in Argentina
The quality of public healthcare in Argentina is generally satisfactory. To get the best possible level of care, it is advisable to use paid private facilities. We recommend taking out good travel insurance in advance to cover medical costs related to illness and accidents.
Yellow fever vaccination is only recommended if you are travelling to the forested areas on the border with Brazil.
Safety in Argentina
Urban insecurity and petty crime are present in most large Argentine cities. So stay alert and avoid carrying valuables such as jewellery, mobile phones or cameras. When exploring the country, it's best to keep your travel documents and valuables somewhere safe, such as your hotel safe.
Before you leave, be sure to check the latest travel advice for Argentina on the website of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs.
It is recommended that you register your trip to Argentina onTravellers Online. This allows the Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs to contact you should an emergency arise.
Which travel insurance should I choose for a trip to Argentina?
At Redion, you can take out either temporary or annual travel insurance.
All travel insurance policies include the following benefits:
- Reimbursement of medical expenses
- Organisation of, and assistance with, your repatriation and that of your travelling companions if necessary
- Early return in the event of hospitalisation or death of a relative in Belgium
- Assistance in case of lost documents
If you only travel abroad once a year, temporary travel insurance may be useful. If you travel several times a year, annual travel insurance will be the more cost-effective option.
Climate and religion
Given Argentina's size, you can visit the country at any time of year by heading to different regions, depending on latitude and season. Remember that in the southern hemisphere, summer runs from December to February. We especially recommend this period for excursions to the far south of the country, such as Patagonia and the Perito Moreno Glacier. Metropolitan regions such as Buenos Aires and Córdoba, however, are suitable for city breaks all year round.
Argentina is home to several different religions. The most widespread is Catholicism, alongside many other faiths, including Protestantism, the Pentecostal movement, Islam and Judaism.
Argentine cuisine
Argentine cuisine is renowned for its meat dishes such as “parrillada”, the Argentine barbecue. There is also “churrasco” (steak), as well as “albondigas” (meatballs), “chorizo” (spicy sausage), “morcilla” (blood sausage), “milanesa” (breaded cutlet) and “longaniza” (two varieties of sausage) grilled on the barbecue.
Not a big fan of (grilled) meat? Then try the classic “empanadas”, filled with all kinds of ingredients: meat, fish and vegetables. “Choripan”, a spicy sausage sandwich with a parsley-based sauce, is the most common street food sold across the country.
